My 5 Most Powerful Daily Habits

We all have habits, some good, some bad. Or shall I say, some that move us forward toward an inspiring future and others that keep us stuck in the past. Habits are where the intersection between life and business becomes even more blurry than usual (and those of you that read me regularly know I have a pretty expanded concept of how life and business intersect). This is why I wanted to share my most powerful daily habits with you.

At first glance you might look at this list and think – What does this have to do with growing your business? My answer is everything. Because you are at the core of your business. The hub. The engine. Without you the business doesn’t go forward (particularly if you are self-employed or in a small partnership). As my earliest personal transformation mentor Debbie Ford would teach us – it’s all about the microcosm of the macrocosm. Meaning what affects one part affects the whole. The tiniest thing is a reflection of the largest thing. A bit metaphysical? Yes. Applicable to your business. Without a doubt.

So here are the most important things I do every day that make me more productive, happier, and a better business owner and human being.

Begin with Gratitude

Every morning before my feet hit the floor, I give gratitude for the day. Regardless of my mood upon waking, I say a prayer of thanks. No matter what is going on in my life or business, today is precious. Being alive, breathing, healthy, with others I love, and in a business of my choosing is a gift. Even when I want to go all crankypants before I’ve even dismantled the snooze alarm, I remember what it was like when my mother was dying two years ago. A humbling and very present reminder of the gift that is today. This attitude informs my day and my business dealings.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Daily meditation is one of my integrity anchors that I started in 2003 and faithfully commit to. There is the occasional day that gets missed, but usually another form of meditation takes its place that day (like a very long kayak trip on a quiet lake for instance). This has brought a quality of presence and mindfulness to my life and business that I never dreamed was possible. It directly impacts my clients as well. Whether the intentions behind your practice are spiritual, health related, or strictly business performance related, it works. Avoid burnout, increase creativity, cultivate better relationships, and be a more spectacular leader… that’s an ROI that even the skeptics can get behind.

Fuel My Body and Mind Well

I have always been very interested in health. That said I’ve recently reached a greater level of awareness of what does and does not work in my body. Literally this week – one day I started my day with a fabulous green smoothie from a recipe given to me by a local holistic health coach. I felt awesome. All systems allowed me to perform at my best. My speaking engagement rocked, my meetings that followed were productive. I felt great. Then, today, I got lazy. I had one of those mopy give me fruit, yogurt, a half of bagel and coffee moments. Now at first glance this isn’t the worst meal known to mankind. I’m not a health expert nor am I interested in flame wars about gluten. I am passionate about food and have some pretty strong opinions about it. What IS undeniable is that I spent the morning feeling off, a bit sluggish, and my insides were not cooperating. Point being – be mindful of how you fuel your body, move your body, and feed your mind in the way of thoughts and content you ingest. It will impact your productivity and innovation. Not to mention – are you more psyched up to do sales calls when you feel on top of the world or like a slug? That’s a pretty tangible impact right there.

Limit My Focus, Expand My Horizons

You can’t do everything at once. I believe you are at your own peril if you multitask. I used to be the classic triple and quadruple multitasker. My anxiety, panic, and bad moods shot way up. My productivity way down. When I started limiting my tasks each day only to a few priority activities that were directly aligned with me moving my business ahead all the nonessentials fell away. Delegate what you can and give yourself permission to stay focused and then call it a day. Building a business is a distance run. Focus on today’s milepost and allow yourself the space in which to just BE and evolve.

Set Healthy Boundaries

You can’t be all things to all people. You need to set healthy boundaries with yourself, your clients, and your family if you wish to succeed. This goes double if you work from home. Recently I had a wonderful epiphany about how to explain the difference between boundaries that work and serve the highest good of all and those that don’t. I made a funny yet instructive video about it. Hope it helps you.

While you might expect me to say something like – check Google Analytics daily! Or, work that social media beast! In reality, those are all just tasks that need to link up to the bigger plan. Part of that bigger plan is not just what you do but how you do it and how well you care for yourself- your business’ star player.

What are your favorite daily habits that help you in your career or business? Share in the comments so we can all benefit.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Paula,
I love your video on boundaries. At times I have had a colleague teasing me because I am not available 24 x 7, and because I do take one day off per week from business. (The interesting thing is that I have never ever had a CLIENT complain!) It is well documented that in order to be at your best, you need to let yourself recover. In order to do that, you need to be skilled at setting boundaries.
Your analogy of the door and knob were excellent!
Best,
Theresa